Swing gate for twisters



May l7, 1966 N. E. KLEIN 3,251,180

SWING GATE FOR TWISTERS Filed Dec. 24, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. NORMAN E. KLEIN M R. V a LJL ATTORNEY May 17, 1966 N E KLEIN 3,

SWING GATE FOR TWISTERS Filed Dec. 24, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

NORMAN E. KLEIN MR /WW4QW ATTORNEY May.17, 1966 N. E KLEIN 3,251,180

SWING GATE FOR TWISTERS Filed Dec. 24, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

NORMAN E. KLEIN MR WM ATTQRNEY United States Patent 3,251,180 SWING GATE FOR TWISTERS Norman E. Klein, Spartanburg, S.C., assiguor to Deering Milliken Research Corporation, Spartanburg, 5.0., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 333,059 2 Claims. (Cl. 57-89) This invention relates generally to twisters and more particularly to a new and improved swing gate apparatus for twisters.

, Conventionally, yarn twisting frames have employed swing gates to allow the spindles to be positioned in at least two positions. In one position the spindle whorl will be in contact with the drive belt to rotate the spindle at a predetermined rate. In another position the spindle is rotated away from the frame on the swing gate for the purpose of dofiiing or donning yarn packages on said spindle. The swing gate generally employed up to this time utilizes a door hinge type of construction which rotates on a metallic pin with the aid of bronzeor plastic bushings. This type of swing gate, under the influence of rapid vibratory loading, tends to wear badly which results in a looseness which becomes cumulatively worse with extended use.

The above mentioned wear due to rapid vibratory loading is sometimes referred to as fretting corrosion. Fretting corrosion is normally defined as a corrosion of oscillatory relative motion. This motion between supposedly fixed, mating parts is shown to cause gross slip between the mating surfaces. In the'case of the swing gate this fretting corrosion occurred at the hinge bearing due to the small oscillatory movement caused by the belt drive action plus vibratory load action due to slight spindle unbalance. As pointed out above, this condition, over a period of time, becomes cumulatively worse due to accumulated play in the mating parts. i

It is therefore an object of the invention 'to provide a twister with a swing gate which will not Wear due to fretting corrosion.

Another object of the invention is to provide atwister with a swing gate action which does not employ sliding or rolling friction parts to eliminate fretting corrosion.

A still further object of the invertion is to provide a twister with a swing gate which does not require lubrication.

A fourth object of the invention is to provide a twister with a swing gate which is easier and less expensive to manufacture.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a twister with a swing gate which does not require servicing or repair.

Another object of the invention is to provide a twister with a swing gate in which torsional forces on the gate are derived from the resilient members of the swing mechanism thereby eliminating need for external bias springs.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent as the specification proceeds to describe the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation of a typical twister employing the new and improved swing gate;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the new and improved swing gate;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the spindle showing the spindle whorl in position against the drive belt;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 except the spindle is swung out to the doff position; and

FIGURE 5 is a blown up View of the spindle moving mechanism shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 4.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 there is shown a typical ice twisting operation in which a rubber or elastic thread is being covered with a nonelastic thread covering. The schematic uptwister shown in FIGURE 1 is merely illustrative and does not per se form a part of the invention since other twisters and twisting arrangements may be employed within the scope of the invention.

Rubber or elastic thread 10 to be covered is supplied to the center of the spindle 12 from supply spool 14, over a conventional tensioning apparatus 16, and through a guide member 18, by conventional capstan feed rolls 19. The covering thread is prewound on the bobbin 21 and the bobbin is frictionally secured to the whorl 22 which-is rotated at a speed of 12,000 to 24,000 rpm. by drive belt 24 in frictional contact therewith. The spindle 12 is mounted in opening 26 of swing gate 28 by any suitable means such as biasing spring 30 and bolt member 32 (FIGURE 5). Swing gate 28 in turn is rigidly secured to the twister frame by any suitable means.

Rubber elastic thread 10 is wrapped by thread 20 as it emerges from the whorl 22 by the rotation of the covering thread bobbin 21 thereabout. The Wrapped thread 34 is then fed from the point of thread wrapping 35 and evenly distributed on the take-up spool 36 by traverse guide 38. Take-up spool 36 can be driven by any suitable means such asa surface contact roll 40.

As previously discussed it is preferable to employ a swing gate which will provide good contact between the whorl 22 and the drive belt 24 and at the same time will allow the spindle to be readily rotated away from the drive belt 24 in order to doff and don the bobbins 21. Such a swing gate is shown in detail in FIGURE 2.

Swing gate 23 consists basically of two members 42 and 44, preferably of angle iron, each having two surfaces 46, 48 and 50, 52 respectively, preferably at substantially .right angles to each other. This angle can be greater or less than but it is preferred for the sake of simplicity and ease of manufacture to employ substantially right angles. To provide axial stabilization of the swing gate and also provide for limited movement of the spindle 12 members 42 and 44 are interconnected through crossed leaf springs 54 and 56, preferably of spring steel. Leaf springs 54 and 56 can. be connected to members 42 and 44 by any suitable means such as rivets or screws 58.

Leaf springs 54 and 56 are so positioned and of a predetermined size such that the axial forces on the swing gate are balanced. In order to provide such balance members 42 and 44 are secured together by the preselected leaf springs 54 and 56 so that surfaces 48 and 50 are contiguous to one vertical plane and surfaces 46 and 52 are contiguous with another vertical plane. The intersecting point of the two vertical planes will be the axis ofrotation. The interconnection of the elements 42 and 44 in the manner shown prevents the tendency of either member 4-2 or 44 to rotate or cant in the vertical direction, thereby providing a stabilized swing gate in the axial direction.

Welded or otherwise secured to member 44 is a support plate 60 and a bolt 62. Support plate 60 can rest on the frame (not shown) and bolt 62 can project through an opening in the frame and be bolted thereto by attachment of a nut to the threaded portion 64. Suitable gaskets and washers can be used as desired. The above support plate 60 and bolt 62 are merely exemplary and other suitable support means can be employed within the scope of the invention.

Welded or otherwise secured to the member 42 of the swing gate 28 is a horizontally extending spindle support plate 65. An aperture 26 is provided therein for the reason hereintofore described. A lever arm 66 is secured to the spindle support'plate 65 for reasons hereinafter explained.

Patented May 17, 1966 Preferably connected to the twister frame is a support bracket 68 to support the spindle brake 70 and the cam actuator 72 to rotate the spindle away \from drive belt 24.

Looking at FIGURES 3-5, the action of the swing gate 28 will be explained. In the running position as shown in FIGURE 3 the springs 54 and 56 have been biased slightly in the clockwise direction so that the action of the springs will positively force the whorl 22 of the spindle 12 against the drive belt 24. The action of the leaf springs 54 and 56 not only provides sufficient force to insure good contact with the drive belt but also will absorb any deviations or vibrations set up by belt or caused by spindle unbalance.

To rotate the spindle away from the frame for any desired purpose the lever 74 is rotated downward away from the frame causing cam actuator 72 to force lever arm 66 away from the frame. The rotation of lever arm 66 away from the frame causes spindle 12 to also be rotated in the same direction since the spindle is secured to spindle support plate 65 to which the lever arm 66 is attached. Cam actuator 72 is so designed that the extreme outward position of the lever arm 66 is where the whorl 22 tightly engages the felt lining 76 on the brake arm 70 to stop the rotation of the spindle, as shown in FIGURE 4. Preferably cam actuator 72 has a fiat portion 78 thereon which will be flush with the lever arm 66 in this extreme position to lock the spindle away from the drive belt 24. To place the spindle back in operation the lever 74 is rotated upward moving cam actuator 72 in a clockwise direction, thereby allowing the springs 54 and 56 to pull the spindle 12 back into operating position against the drive belt 24.

The herein disclosed novel swing gate has many obvious advantages. It is simple in construction with very few parts which do not require lubrication. It has no sliding or rolling parts which will wear out due to fretting corrosion or fatigue. Furthermore, due to its simplicity and sturdy construction very little, if any, servicing or repair will be necessary. The herein disclosed swing gate is stabilized about two horizontal axes allowing movement only about a vertical axis that will readily absorb any vibrations or deviations set up either by the drive belt or an unbalanced condition of the twister.

Although I have described the preferred embodiment 45 of my invention, I contemplate that changes may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of my invention and I desire to be limited only by the scope of the claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. An improved twister comprising: a twister frame, a spindle, spindle drive means operably associated with said frame, a first support member secured to said frame, a second rotatable support member, said spindle being .rotatably supported in said second support member, a first leaf spring connected to said first and said second support members, a second leaf spring crossing said first leaf spring and connected to said first and said second support members to allow rotation of said second support member in relation to said frame and preventing axial rotation of said first support member in relation to said second support member, said crossed leaf springs biasing said spindle into contact with said drive means and means in operative relationship with said frame to rotate said second support member away from said drive means against the bias of said crossed leaf springs.

2. An improved twister comprising: a twister frame, a spindle, spindle drive means operably associated with said frame, a first support member secured to said frame, a second rotatable support member, said spindle being rotatably supported in said second support member, a first leaf spring connected to said first and said second support members, second leaf spring crossing said first leaf spring and connected to said first and said second support members to allow rotation of said second support member in relation to said frame and permitting axial rotation of said first support member in relation to said second support member, said crossed leaf springs being the sole support for said second support member, said crossed leaf spring biasing said spindle into contact with said drive means and means in operative relationship with said frame to rotate said second support memher away from said drive means against the bias of said crossed leaf springs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,414,883 5/1922 Lawton 57-89 X 2,210,787 8/1940 Winslow 5789 X 2,557,783 6/1951 Cochran 5789 X FOREIGN PATENTS 611,519 11/1948 Great Britain. 673,695 6/ 1952 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner, 

1. AN IMPROVED TWISTER COMPRISING: A TWISTER FRAME, A SPINDLE, SPINDLE DRIVE MEANS OPERABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID FRAME, A FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER SECURED TO SAID FRAME, A SECOND ROTATABLE SUPPORT MEMBER, SAID SPINDLE BEING ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER, A FIRST LEAF SPRING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS, A SECOND LEAF SPRING CROSSING SAID FIRST LEAF SRPING AND CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS TO ALLOW ROTATION OF SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER IN RELATION TO SAID FRAME AND PEVENTING AXIAL ROTATION OF SAID FIRST SUPPORT MEMBER IN RELATION TO SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER, SAID CROSSED LEAF SPRINGS BIASING SAID SPINDLE INTO CONTACT WITH SAID DRIVE MEANS AND MEANS IN OPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FRAME TO ROTATE SAID SECOND SUPPORT MEMBER AWAY FROM SAID DRIVE MEANS AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAID CROSSED LEAF SPRINGS. 